


The person next to me

by boxuan



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, One-Sided Attraction, Strangers to Lovers, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-25 12:30:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14977202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxuan/pseuds/boxuan
Summary: Despite her own crushes, it never occurs to Yeri that someone could actually like her. That’s when things start to become messy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tach](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Tach).



> Yeri is falling, but Joy is there to catch her. With Wendy she doesn’t fall anymore.

_Realize we were not in the same boat_

_We been living like angels and devils_

_Through it all you could still make my heart skip_

_I never wanna live without it_

_You drive me insane_

_Now we're screaming just to see who's louder_

 

* * *

 

“You know you’re supposed to actually _buy_ the book instead of reading it for free, right?”

Yeri feels her face heating up, and she’s ready to splutter an ungainly apology to the bookshop’s cashier until she sees the fat grin in the girl’s face.

“I know”, she says instead, sounding almost inappropriately indignant, and the cashier snorts.

“Just making sure”, she smirks and points on the book in Yeri’s lap. “You almost finished that one. Is it good? I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.”

Yeri is one hundred per cent sure she is getting mocked, so she just crunches her nose and mumbles, “It’s alright.”

It’s quiet for a few seconds. Yeri stares at the words in the book without progressing them, thinking very rapidly. Should she go? Should she stay? Should she buy the book? No, she can’t do that, she forgot her wallet at home. Not that there’s lots of money in it, anyway.

She peeks up, and when she sees that the cashier is still looking at her, she clears her throat and stares down her book, instead. She hears a chuckle, then footsteps.

Yeri slowly lifts her head again. The cashier‘s gone. She quickly gets up on her feet, puts the book back where she found it - neatly making sure the books on the shelf won’t fall down - and gets out of this bookshop.

  


She manages to not visit the bookshop for a whole three days.

It‘s just - she’s captured, and she doesn’t have the money to buy all of the books she wants to read.

  


Maybe she just wants to see the grinning cashier again.

  


“Is this a habit of yours?”

Yeri looks up, excepting the pretty smirk she’s almost used to, but the cashier only raises her eyebrows. She has long, black hair that’s running down her back like a waterfall. Yeri crunches her nose. She hasn’t noticed how pretty her new acquaintance was when they first met. Yeri could stare into those eyes for hours.

“What?”, she shortly answers, and she thanks god that this girl has the patience to keep up with her as she shots back, “Stealing from my chief.”

Yeri forgets she wanted to keep the cool attitude up and indignantly exclaims, “I’m not stealing!”

“Technically, you are. You’re not paying.”

Yeri notices the full lips of the cashier before she gets a grip of herself. “You know, you really should get a sign outside. I thought this was a library.”

She finally gets a scoff out of her.

“Well, it’s not. Now you know.” The pretty cashier shots Yeri a pregnant look and flips her hair before walking off. Yeri suppresses a grin.

  


Somehow, this is fun.

  


Yeri notices the thunder way too late. In fact, she only does when a woman in the aisle next to hers starts to call her son, yelling through the entire supermarket. (“Come on, we got to get going! There’s going to be a thunderstorm soon! Now, come on, we have those cornflakes at home already!”)

Yeri goes on her toes, trying to snatch a look at the outside - just to see heavy rain pouring down the shop’s windows. “Geez”, she mutters to herself, grabbing the frozen pizzas she has been eyeing for the past minute, and hurries to the checkout.

When she steps outside, the world is actually ending. She stumbles aside when a family behind her shoves her away, making their way through to their car, and Yeri scolds herself for not having taken the car herself.

She dials Saeron’s number, but doesn’t hit call in the end. She recalls something like a date, a doctor appointment or something, and she really doesn’t want to be that friend that needs to be picked up. Especially because she just knows Saeron would be teasing her for that for weeks.

Yeri leans against the wall, trying to think up a solution. Swallowing her pride and calling Saeron? Not good. Walking home? She might catch a cold.

She lets her glance wander when she suddenly notices that from this exit, the bookshop she’s been visiting recently is right around the corner. Just a minute away, actually.

Yeri puts on her hood and starts hurrying.

  


“Hello?”, she enters, and then, when no one answers, “Is this open?”  
A slender woman with dark hair comes from what Yeri supposes is the shop’s storage, eyeing her wet clothes and hair. “Good evening”, she says with a cool voice, and Yeri unconsciously straightens her back. _Scary_.

“I’m looking for…”, the pretty cashier whose name Yeri has never known, “uh, can I stay here for a while? Until the, uh, storm’s over.”

Yeri notices she’s rambling and, on top on that, talking informally like a child, so she quickly adds a “Please”.

“Sure.” The woman frowns when she glances at Yeri’s drenched hair. “Please don’t drop onto my carpet.”

Yeri thinks calling Saeron wouldn’t have been the worst thing after all.

“Thank you”, she mumbles with red cheeks. The woman shots her a last look before saying, “I have to leave now, but Sooyoung will be here for your wishes. She should come any minute now-“

The door breaks open, just to be slammed shut after Yeri’s pretty cashier has forced her body through.

“Hi, chief!”, she exhales, shaking her head like a dog, causing raindrops to fly everywhere. Yeri could swear she hears the scary woman, Sooyoung’s chief, mumbling “My carpets….” under her breath.

  


“Oh! What are you doing here?”

  
Yeri finds herself under two different pairs of eyes - a genuinely surprised one, the other mildly interested.

Her cheeks heat up. “I needed a place to stay over. Because, well, the world’s ending right now.”

Sooyoung gives her a crooked smile, and her chief sighs, grabbing the doorknob. “Make sure to close up later, Sooyoung”, she says, giving Yeri a little nod before leaving.

There’s a pause. “Your chief is… something”, she eventually says, and Sooyoung gives her another smile.

“She’s great, really. Joohyun seems a bit stern in the beginning, but she’s a real sweetheart once you get to know her. Hey”, she sits down on one of the chairs in front of the book shelves. “what’s your name? Don’t think I’ve ever caught it.”

Yeri sits down in front of Sooyoung. “It’s Yeri.”  
Yeri doesn’t know why she doesn’t introduce herself with her actual name Yerim. Maybe because she feels like she already knows Sooyoung a little bit.

“Sweet!”, Sooyoung beams, “I’m Joy.”

Maybe she doesn’t know her that well.

“I thought it’s Sooyoung”, Yeri frowns, and Sooyoung - Joy – shrugs.

“I just prefer Joy. I’ve had that nickname since middle school.”

“Oh.”

Yeri fiddles with her hands, rubbing them against each other so she’ll warm up more quickly.

  


“Awful weather out there, right?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty bad.”

  


Joy glances at her. Yeri reshuffles her position.

  


“What have you read so far?”

“Hah? What do you mean?”

“You’ve read at least two books here. Which ones?”

  


Yeri has to say, she’s…. flattered. Joy is, after all, one of the prettiest girls she has ever seen. She looks like the most popular girl in Highschool everyone wanted to date, including Yeri. The fact that someone like this remembers her… it makes Yeri sit up a little straighter in her chair.

“Confessions and Norwegian Wood.”

It’s the first time Yeri returns one of the many smiles Joy has given her, and Joy actually gasps when seeing it.

“I didn’t know you were capable of smiling, Yeri!”

Yeri wants to scoff at her, but the way Joy wraps her to tongue around her name reddens her cheeks, and she just manages to let out a “pff” sound that makes Joy chuckle.

“Confessions”, Joy hums, “isn’t that the bestseller mystery novel?”

Yeri wants to say something between “You read as a hobby?” and “You know that book?”, but what comes out is, “You know how to read?”

Joy pouts, acting like she’s deeply hurt by clasping her chest.. “Geez, Yeri… that hurt, you know?”

Yeri gives her a grimace and Joy laughs again, her wonderful, pretty laugh, and Yeri feels great for making her smile.

  


Yeri comes more often to the bookshop now.

  


It’s more like a habit. She still enjoys reading, sure - but she’s more interested in overhearing Joy‘s occasional talks on the phone to a certain Seulgi.

(“Seulgi, I can’t tonight…. yeah, I know, but I have to work…. no, it’s not that bad. You should come by sometime! …hello? Seulgi? Seulgi, have you hung up?”

“Can you tell Nayeon I’m not coming to class today? Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry, but I won’t make it. Yes, I’ll make it up to you. Yes, I can buy you pizza, geez, Seulgi….”)

She wonders who that Seulgi is. Her best friend? A girlfriend, maybe?

Yeri’s just curious, she really is. She doesn’t have any intentions that involve anything romantic. Quite the opposite, her first reaction to Joy talking to her is deadpanning.

It’s just that Joy is very funny, very sweet and very, very gorgeous and she wants to be her friend pretty badly.

  


She reads another book ; The Little Prince. It takes her about four visits, seven weeks in total, and even though she has remembered where she stopped reading after each session, she notices Joy has made the effort to put stick notes as bookmarks into her book.

She wondered whether Joy payed so much attention to know which book she read, but by flipping through the other copies she quickly realizes Joy has done this to every book. Somehow, her chest feels even warmer because of that.

Some visits pass and the bookmark stick note is now accompanied by additional stick notes with actual notes on it.

  


“How’s the book?”

“Little prince’s having a hard time, huh? Read on quickly!”

“Come on, almost done! You can do it, Yeri!”

  


Yeri stares at the pretty letters and the little hearts Joy has drawn next to them and carefully plucks the notes from the pages, letting them slide into her pocket.

“Saeron, I can’t right now”, she hisses, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible because she feels Joy’s chief - Jooyoung, wasn’t it? - eyeing her. “Sorry, I’ll call you later.”

She turns around with her phone pressed to her chest when she hears Joy coming in.

“Good evening, Jooyoung”, she chirps and immediate beams at Yeri when she spots her. Yeri gives her a weak smile.

“What’s that in your phone case?”, Joy asks, putting her coat on the shop’s clothes rack.

  


_Oh, no._

  


Yeri tries not to look at a deer in headlights when she quickly puts her phone in her butt pocket.

“Nothing.”

_Dumb Kim Yerim. Using a transparent case. Idiot, idiot, idiot._

Joy does a grimace. “But I definitely saw something!”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Yeri crosses her arms in front of her chest.

Joy looks offended. “I did!”

Yeri grins. “You didn’t.”

Joy steps forward, cornering Yeri, who looks up to her with a raised chin.

“You sure?”, Joy asks with a fat grin in her face, and Yeri lifts her chin a bit higher.

  


“I’m sure.”

  
Joy leans in, her lips almost touching Yeri’s exposed ear, and with a quick movement she has stolen Yeri’s phone out of her pocket.

“Ha!”, Joy says, “I’m sure, she says. Why are my notes in this?” She holds the phone with her thumb and her index finger, waving the phone in front of Yeri’s red face.

“I-“ Yeri shuts her mouth and instead tries to pick her phone out of Joy’s hand, which quickly goes up her head, out of Yeri’s range, no matter how much she tiptoes.

“Give me my phone back.”

Joy grins and hands it her back. Yeri basically snatches it out of her fingers.

“Thanks.”

“So why did you keep those?” Joy points at her - now Yeri’s - notes, her index finger drawing small circles as if Yeri’s focus wasn’t already on it.

“I wanted to pin them on my wall”, Yeri mumbles, her eyebrows pulled together.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?”

“I said that-“

Yeri stops talking when she realizes by Joy’s big grin in her face she’s just teasing her.

“Bite me, Sooyoung”, she mutters, shuffling to her usual chair and letting herself fall onto it.

“I’m just messing with you, Kim Yerim”, Joy smiles. “Enjoy your book.”

  


It takes her fifteen pages to notice she has never told Joy her full name.

  


“Wait a-“

  
She looks up, struck by the realization, but Joy has already left ; Joohyun has taken over her shit, raising an eyebrow when she sees Yeri.

Yeri clears her throat. “Excuse me, when is J- Sooyoung coming back?”

Joohyun takes a moment to think about it. “Next week”, she then answers, “she has finals right now. Why? Do you want to take her shifts?”

Yeri needs a moment to realize Joohyun is just kidding. She thought it’s because of Joohyun’s stern mimic, but maybe Yeri is just bad at taking hints. Taking everything personally. She truly has no idea.

“Uh, no”, she splutters, getting up and putting her book back in the shelf, “I better get going. See you!”

And she’s gone in a beat.

  


“Yeri, what are you doing?”, her mother yells from downstairs, “dinner is ready in a second!”

“Coming!”, Yeri shouts back. She quickly closes the open tabs on her laptop before shutting it down.

(“Millions of results for Sooyoung”, Yeri mumbles under her breath, “couldn’t this girl have a more unique name?”)

She hasn’t find out anything about her, after all. No instagram, no twitter, no anything. Nothing she could find, at least.

Yeri makes sure to lay the notes on her nightstand before running down the stairs for dinner.

  


“Look at that girl over there”, Saeron whispers into Yeri’s ear, pointing at a tall woman’s back, “isn’t she your type?”  
Yeri takes a demonstrative sip from her soda. “I can’t even see her face”, she then says. “You know, having a girlfriend isn’t everything in life.”

Saeron stares at her for a second - before wrapping her arms around her, tightly hugging Yeri, who tries her best to get out of it. “Oh, the loneliness in your voice”, Saeron cries out, “it’s making me sad… Yeri, we have to get someone for you as fast as possible!”

“People are looking”, Yeri muffles against Saeron’s arm, “besides, you’re single, too.”

“I’ll act like I haven’t heard that”, Saeron scolds her before releasing her from her touch. Yeri loudly exhales.

“For real”, Saeron says, “look at that girl. Tall, long hair, bangs…. hot…. are you sure you won’t talk to her?”

Yeri frowns at the description, it sounds a lot like-

“Oh, Yeri!”, Joy calls out from across the hall, walking towards them (“The hot girl knows your name?”, Saeron hisses in panic before Yeri shuts her down with a “Hush!”).

“Hi”, Joy greets them when she arrives, a little bit out of breath, and she puts her hair behind her ear, giving Yeri a beam. She only has a short glance left for Saeron, Yeri notices with some sort of satisfaction - Saeron looks better than ever, she had dressed up for the movie they were going to watch, but Joy only has eyes for Yeri.

“Hi”, Yeri says rather bluntly, “don’t you have exams right now?”

Joy blinks. “How did you know that?”

Yeri smiles triumphantly, before claiming, “I have my sources”, lifting her chin.

  


“Joohyun told you, didn’t she?”

“…maybe.”

  


Saeron looks from Joy to Yeri and back to Joy like she’s following an intense tennis girl with her eyes. Yeri already knows she’s going to answer a long list of questions when they’re out of the cinema.

“Well, my friend’s waiting for me”, Joy says, pointing to a small girl near the entry to the actual cinema. “See you around, Kim Yerim.”

“Yeah”, Yeri says automatically, “good luck with your exams.”

Joy gives her a smile so big it shows her gums, and Yeri smirks back.

They watch Joy walk off, into the cinema with her friend, and Saeron grabs Yeri’s arm so tightly Yeri flinches. “Ow!”

  


“Tell me _everything_.”

  


Somehow, the movie wasn’t interested enough to keep Yeri from staring at Joy, sitting a few ranks lower than Saeron and her.

“You think she’s cute”, Saeron whispers, and Yeri mumbles, “shut up.” Saeron giggles. Yeri sinks a bit lower in her seat.

  


Yeri finds out Joy and she visit the same college when she visits the library for the first time.

It’s not that she hasn’t studied - she just hasn’t had time to visit the full campus yet. After all, she’s in her first semester, and Saeron only showed her the very basics (which are, by Saeron’s definition, are fulfilled with the cafeteria and the gym).

But she’s figured that it might be time to start studying, the time she has used to procrastinate is pretty much used up.

So when she enters the library, grabs a few books and sits down on a round table, she only notices Joy when same says, “Kim Yerim! Long time no see!”

Yeri lifts her head at once when she hears the familiar, sweet voice. Instead of telling Joy that it has only been a week since they had met in the cinema, she says, “What are you doing here?”

Joy points to the laptop in front of her. “I’m doing homework.”

Yeri frowns. “No, not in the library, what are you doing in this college? Since when are you studying here?”

Joy smiles. “I’m in my fourth semester. Sociology. You?”

“English”, Yeri says immediately, “and P.E. I want to be a teacher.”

“A teacher, huh?” Joy glances at her. “I think that would suit you well.”

Yeri doesn’t ask why even if she’s dead curious. “Thanks, I guess.”

Suddenly, she remembers something she has wanted to ask in forever. “Hey, where do you know my name from?”

Joy smiles at her, but with obvious confusion in her eyes. “You told me?”

“I didn’t”, Yeri answers, “I told you I’m Yeri. You’ve called me by my full name various times already.”

“Oh. I did?” Joy tries to remember, putting a finger on her lip, and Yeri catches herself staring at the motion, “I saw you on instagram, I think. Don’t you have your full name on there?”

Yeri is kind of speechless. Not because she’s impressed, but rather because when she spins complex theories, Joy softly destroys them with simplicity. She likes it. Joy keeps it easy and flowing while Yeri keeps ruining their thing.

“I do”, she eventually says, and gives her a smile. Joy beams harder when Yeri smirks at her.

“So, want a tour for the campus?”

  


The first thing Joy shows her is the rooftop.

“It’s pretty cold”, Yeri comments, but when she notices the grumbling in her voice, she quickly adds a, “but It’s alright.”

Joy turns around to her. The wind blows through her hair, messing it up, but she’s radiant. Yeri rubs her arms to make her sudden goosebumps go away.

“This is my favorite place here”, she says thoughtfully, “look at the view.”

So Yeri does.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”, Joy whispers, and Yeri glances at her, ignoring the stunning landscape in front of her.

“It is.”

And in this very moment, Yeri thinks it might be love. Not now, but one day. Because who is she to not love this woman, shining brighter than the sun itself?

“I gotta go”, she says, and Joy turns to her, eyebrows raises in surprise. “Already?”

“Yeah.” Yeri hurries to the door that will get her downstairs, down on her feet again, and when Joy calls after her, “Am I seeing you tomorrow?”, she just nods. Yeri slams the door behind her without knowing if Joy saw her.

She turns up in the bookshop again, of course she does. Cautiously, she opens the door, lurking through the small gap. Joohyun’s at the cash register, seemingly counting money. She’s not sure if she’s supposed to be relieved or disappointed. Anyway, she goes in.

“Good morning, Yeri”, Joohyun greets her, and Yeri immediately goes, “Hi, Joohyun”, before realizing they have never been introduced to each other. She clings to that thought for a moment, but then shrugs it off. Joy has dropped Joohyun’s name to Yeri, she must have said Yeri’s name around Joohyun as well. Yeri can’t help but wonder what Joy has said about her. Maybe she wanted to apologize for not throwing out the girl that read brand new books without buying them.

She sneaks to her usual spot and grabs a book.

  


Half an hour later she notices that Joohyun is leaving. Joy comes in and hurries to her spot, past Yeri without seeing her. Yeri watches Joy pulling out a book she’s laying on the cash register, quickly falling into it.

Yeri raises an eyebrow. “You know you’re supposed to work instead of reading, right?”  
Joy flinches at the sound of her voice, and the grin on Yeri’s lips fades. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Yeri purses her lips when Joy doesn’t even have a smile left for her obvious reference to their first meeting, and then continues to read her book. Maybe Joy just needs a break from her. They just have been meeting a lot recently.

She stays Joy’s entire shift.

  


The next time she comes, Joohyun’s there again, greeting her with a less stoic smile. She’s warming up towards her, Yeri thinks. She gives her a small smile.

When she’s already a few minutes into reading, she looks up. Joohyun’s sorting books almost next to her, making sure they’re in order and neatly placed.

“Excuse me?”, Yeri asks, and Joohyun turns around to her. “Yes, please?”

“The other day, was J- Sooyoung…”, she searches for the right words, “down or something?”

Joohyun frowns - even when doing a grimace this woman still looks prettier than Yeri ever did -, and answers, “well, she offered to cover my shift.”

“I thought she had finals”, Yeri says, more to herself than to Joohyun, but Joohyun still replies, “Oh, she does. When you didn’t show up during her original shift, she asked me to text her and switch with her once you came.”

There’s no accusation or hostility in her voice, yet Yeri feels like someone has punched her in the stomach.

“She did?”, she whispers, breathless, and Joohyun just nods.

Yeri leaves the bookshop exactly three minutes later.

  


Guilt is something Yeri rarely experiences, but when she does, oh boy.

She doesn’t visit the bookshop for a whole month. It’s killing two birds with one stone - Joy doesn’t have to overwork for Yeri’s sake anymore and, well, Yeri’s dying inside. Maybe she deserves to suffer.

The bookshop started as her getaway spot from college, from stress, from anything that was involved in her world, but now it has become her world.

She misses Joy.

It’s funny if she thinks about it - they have never gotten close nor talked longer than a few minutes, yet Joy is so obviously tangled in her life. Weird.

She doesn’t grant herself to think about Joy at day - that’s her very own punishment, she decides, Joy deserves better than her, she decides. But at night she takes a peek at the notes Joy had written her carefully, with lovely words on them, and she imagines Joy’s smile the second she falls asleep.

Yeri avoids the places she met Joy as well - the library, the cinema. The rooftop. Not that she would have went there by herself, anyway. She didn’t tell Joy she has a low fear of height. It wasn’t present with her, anyway. She always felt protected with Joy.

  


But of course, she eventually meets her anyway. How couldn’t she? Joy’s radiant presence should be so obvious to her, but it only strikes her when she stands right in front of her.

Like tonight. Yeri stayed up until late night because of studying - god, college really is exhausting - and went to this cafe near her house to get a coffee, and she’s there.

“Kim Yerim?”

She quickly stands up to get her order. “Thanks”, she says, receiving the change from the barista and when she starts heading to the door, taking a sip from her black coffee, she hears it.

  


“Park Sooyoung?”

  


Yeri turns around as quickly as Joy does, so when the barista looks at her first, in confusion, Joy follows his gaze and stares right into Yeri‘s face.

“Hi”, she eventually says. Yeri stays quiet, and Joy slowly turns around again and starts walking towards the counter, talking her coffee with a quiet “Thanks”.

Yeri watches the way Joy’s hands almost clench the cup until she’s passed her, and then Yeri figures her heart might burst if she doesn’t do something, so she calls out, “ _Wait_.”

Joy stops in her motions, but doesn’t turn around to Yeri when she says, “What for?”

Yeri sighs, stepping up to face her. Joy’s face is stoic.

“Thank you”, she mumbles, “for taking your chief’s shift the other day. Appreciate it.”

Joy nods, her face remaining unusually cold, and makes an attempt to leave the shop.

  


“Wait-“

  


Yeri jumps in her way, right before the door. Joy’s body is too close to hers, but Yeri doesn’t take the step back. (t’s something she has never done and now surely isn’t the time to start.

She looks up - god, Joy’s so much taller than her, she hates how she feels less in control - and says, “Listen, I’m sorry, okay?” Then, through slightly gritted teeth, “I’m sorry.”

Joy gives her a look she cannot quite specify. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

It awfully sounds like Joy is trying to manipulate her into more guilt, and Yeri’s in a range.

“Fine!”, she snaps, turning around on her heels and storming out of the coffee shop, leaving a startled Joy behind.

Of course, Yeri feels worse. Guiltier. Somehow, Joy manages to stir the what she thought was very organized, very few feelings into a colorful mess.

Joy is not entitled to Yeri showing up, that’s what Yeri thinks she meant with saying Yeri has nothing to be sorry for. And she took it the complete wrong way.

At least Saeron understands Yeri is not in the mood for anything these days.

  


It’s a strange feeling, she thinks. Joy’s so close yet so, so far away. She constantly has to remind herself that she doesn’t know Joy like that. Because they _don’t_. Joy doesn’t know Yeri’s favorite color and Yeri doesn’t even know if Joy has siblings. That’s the basics of the basics, Yeri concludes, and they don’t even know that. They don’t _know_ each other.

She comes back to the book shop after not seeing Joy for a whole week. Seven days. It’s supposed to be nothing, yet its boring taste was glued to Yeri like old gum. Time creeps without Joy.

Gladly, Joohyun’s there, not Joy, and Yeri shuffles towards her.

“Hi”, Joohyun says, and if Yeri’s not mistaken, the rather cold attitude she had broken down these past weeks has come back. She’s not surprised.

Yeri kind of feels like the ex-girlfriend who has to contact her ex’s family to get her stuff back.

She shakes that odd thought off before greeting Joohyun.

  


Yeri tries to read, but she can’t concentrate. Not because of Joohyun ; in fact, she’s mostly ignoring Yeri. Because she has to work, not because she wants to, Yeri hopes.

She wanted to apologize - yet again - to Joy, but after an hour has passed, she wonders if Joy is even turning up today. So she puts her unread book back, goes up to the counter and raises her voice to call Joohyun, who’s in the back of her shop.

“Excuse me, is J- Sooyoung coming today?”

“She isn’t”, someone says behind her and Yeri turns around. Joy has stepped through the door, still in her coat.

“Joy is, though.”

Yeri smiles gladly, and after an obvious moment of hesitation Joy smirks back.

“How you doing, Kim Yerim?”

“Good.” Yeri fiddles with her hands while Joy is getting ready for work. She tries not to watch her hand movements when she puts her smooth hair into a ponytail.

“You?”

“Oh, fine.” Then she blurts out, “I’m sorry. I snapped at you and, uh, before that I just left for weeks. So, I’m sorry.”

It doesn’t come with the relief she had imagined it to ; much less like a burden that’s taken from your shoulders and more like removing a bee’s sting, the wound still throbbing afterward.

“It’s alright”, Joy shrugs, “it’s not like you’re obligated to drop by. I mean, you’re not even buying something.”

Yeri is offended until she realizes Joy is slowly getting back to their usual dynamics. She’s so happy about that they’re teasing each other again, she just beams as an answer. Joy laughs.

  


Maybe they’re good again.

  


Yeri has spent the whole weekend in what subtle way she could ask Joy for her number, even though Joy will look through any sharp idea. She’s got to try, at least, for Joy has one less thing to tease her about.

She thinks about asking her to tutor her, but then she would have to, well, be tutored, and they don’t take the same classes, anyway.

Besides that, she doesn’t know any plausible reason to ask Joy for her number. Excluding the friendship motif, of course.

“Joohyun?”, she asks one day, nervously shifting her weight while standing in front of the counter. Joohyun looks up. “Oh, hi, Yeri. What’s up?”

Yeri ignores the stiff flavor Joohyun somehow manages to give the casual words and asks,

“Can I get Joy’s number?”

“Sure. She should drop by any minute.”

“No, I mean, can you give me it?”

Joohyun stares at her. “I’m afraid I can’t follow you.”

  


Yeri sighs, frustrated. Every additional second of this awkward conversation is killing her.

_Catch the hint, Joohyun._

  


“I need her number, but I don’t want to ask her for it.”

“Why not?”  
“Geez, forget it!”, Yeri throws her hands up and lets herself fall down on her chair, picking up a book near to her.

She actually does forget it - the book is really great -, until Joy comes up to her and knocks on the book Yeri has been holding in front of her face, being so embraced into it. Yeri lets it sink. “Yeah?”

Joy grins at her. “Joohyun told me you want my number.”

Yeri really starts to dislike Joy’s chief.

“I’m- it wasn’t like-“, Yeri inhales and exhales slowly, then she says, miserably, “yes. Can I get your number?”

  


Joy’s smile is bigger than her great heart of gold.

“You can.”

  


Joy is a quick texter, Yeri finds out. She uses emoticons and uses abbreviations she hasn’t even heard of. It’s incredibly fun to text with Joy.

They don’t talk that often, though - just “Do you have time to meet up?”’s and “Sure”’s and “No, but what about tomorrow?”’s.

Joy sends her texts at night just to say that Yeri’s pretty, with a thousand of hearts.

  


“Yeri!”, Joy squeals, greeting her with a hug. Yeri grins. “Hi, Joy.”

They’ve met up more frequently these days. Today, they’re at the cafe in which they had bumped into each other the other day - Joy said she wants to buy Yeri a slice of cake, and, well, Yeri likes cake a lot.

  


“Joy! Over here!”, Yeri calls, and Joy turned around. “Oh, hey! Ready to go?”  
“Sure.” Yeri puts her headphones in. Joy stretches her arms.  
Today, they’re jogging together. (Because of the cake they had yesterday.)

  


The cinema, the shopping center, relaxing in Yeri’s room, singing karaoke in Joy’s flat.

  


Joy is somewhat the person most important to Yeri, and she’s sure Joy feels the same way of her.

She knows that when Joy kisses her.

  


It’s not a big deal. They’re having an “afternoon-date”, as Joy calls those occasions ; watching romantic movies under a shared blanket, lazily snuggling. Until the kiss-thing, Yeri wouldn’t have thought in a million years that Joy meant it as a date.

They’re watching a movie which name Yeri already has forgotten when the two protagonists kiss on the airport before one of them leaves.

“Isn’t that romantic?”, Joy whispers, and Yeri nods. Yeri glances over to Joy - adores the way the television’s light reflects on Joy’s face. And Joy looks her in the eyes, leans in and places her lips on hers.

  


Yeri doesn’t feel a thing.

  


Well, that’s not entirely true - she does feel the warmth of Joy’s lips, hears the ending song of the movie in the background, tastes the cherry out of Joy’s chapstick.

But that’s it.

Yeri thought she might date Joy. Maybe it’s silly, but the words that Saeron said to her when they went to the cinema stayed with her.

Maybe she did imagine herself with a girlfriend like Joy. Tall, pretty, smiley Joy, who always takes care of her, who thinks of her and makes sure Yeri knows that.

Maybe Joy would be the perfect girlfriend. Yet Yeri’s feelings for her are all platonic.

  


The heart wants what it wants, but , sadly, in Yeri’s case, it’s not Joy.

  


“We…. we shouldn’t…”, she mumbles when they slowly detach, and she lowers her gaze when Joy freezes. She knows the look in Joy’s eyes, anyway. It hurts her, anyway.

“Yeah”, Joy says eventually, shifting her position. Her hand lets go of Yeri’s.

  


Yeri closes her eyes.

_Shit._

  


They don’t talk about it.

  


“Hi, Joy”, Yeri says, tiptoeing to hug Joy, “how are you?”

Joy does a grimace. “Don’t ask, I have an exam tomorrow.”

“Me too.” Yeri sits down next to her. “Did you study enough?”

  


They’re the same. (Right?)

  


Joohyun gives Yeri a little wave when she comes into the bookshop, and Yeri smiles at her in return. They’ve never talked, but they’ve established something what Yeri would call a casual friendship.

“Good morning”, Joohyun says, “Sooyoung has picked out a book she thought you would enjoy. It’s over there.”

Yeri rushes to the book without a “Thank you”, too focused on he excitement about what kind of book Joy could have possible chosen for her.

  


It’s a soulmate novel.

  


“Did you like the book I gave to you yesterday?”, Joy asks her before taking a sip from her water. Yeri nods, smiling. “It’s perfect.”

That’s what they are - perfect. In their own way. And even if Yeri’s heart doesn’t start beating rapidly when she kisses Joy, even if she doesn’t feel an ounce of romance for her, they’re perfect.

Platonic soulmates. A term Yeri has been reserving for someone worth of it. Joy is someone like that.

  


Their story gets shaken up when Yeri walks into the bookshop one day and finds a girl with brown hair and bangs sitting in her chair.

 

* * *

 

_#Happytachweek [1/2]_

Second and last part to be added in a week on 28/06/18 !


	2. Greedy

_You know that I'm greedy for love_

_You give me feelings never felt before_

_I'm making it obvious by knocking at your door_

_I know that I'm coming tonight_

_Don't want to deny it anymore_

_Been in this state of mind_

 

* * *

 

Yeri stares at the girl who’s flipping over a page. Sitting on _her_ chair.

Who does this girl think she is?

She takes a step forward, taking a peek on the person daring invading her space like that, and she freezes.

  
  


It’s Son Seungwan.

  
  


Yeri turns on her heels and runs into the bookshop‘s bathroom, closing the door behind her with a great “wham”. She has never been so glad Joy gave her the key, well knowing she needed it more often than her. Joy is a blessing, indeed.

She stares into the air, unable to process what’s happening.

  
  


Wendy is sitting in her seat.

  
  


She closes her eyes, slowly inhaling and breathing out. _This can’t be real._

Yeri fumbles her phone out of her pocket, dialing Joy’s number. She only takes a second to pick up.

“Hi!”, she trills, “where are you? I’m already at the bookshop.”

“Yeah, me too”, Yeri grumbles, “listen, I need you to do something for me.”

“What? I’m working, you know?”

“Don’t flatter yourself”, Yeri mumbles, swallowing the last syllables as she remembers Joy is doing her a favor, “can you, um, ask the girl sitting in my chair ask to leave?”

“What?” Joy laughs at the other phone and Yeri groans.

“Please, I-“, _need her to be gone_ , “really want my chair back.”

“Alright”, Joy snickers, “you can come out in two minutes. Joohyun wants to use the toilet, by the way.”

Joy hangs up and Yeri puts her phone back in her pocket. She’s getting a headache.

Opening the door just the tiniest, Yeri peeks out, relieved when Wendy seems to be gone. She rushes to Joy, who’s standing at the counter and waves at her as Yeri storms up to her.

“What’s up?”, she asks, writing something down and typing on the computer noting the purchases (Yeri is kind of taken aback - she hasn’t actually seen Joy working, like, ever).

“How did you get W- the girl to go?” Yeri ignores Joy’s greeting, crunching her nose when Joy gives her a crooked smile.

“She was buying a book when I talked to you”, she snorts, “she left right after that. So, is she an ex or anything?”

Yeri frowns. “I just wanted my seat back”, she lies.

“You didn’t”, Joy mumbles without looking up, “you’d have hushed any other person away yourself.”

(Sometimes Yeri hates the way Joy can see right through her.)

“She went to my Highschool”, she mumbles eventually, fiddling with a book’s cover that’s laying on the counter, “I know her, but I’m not sure if she knows me. So I figured throwing her out would be inappropriate.”

By the way Joy slightly narrows her eyes Yeri can tell she doesn’t believe her, but Joy doesn’t ask further. She shrugs. “If you say so.”

“I say so”, Yeri sighs, more to confirm her statement to herself than to Joy.

It’s not a lie, it’s just not the whole truth.

She leaves with the excuse of having to study - Joy believes it, or at least she doesn’t say anything - and has her phone out of her pocket already when she steps onto the street.

“Saeron”, she yells into it, fighting against the city’s noise, “you won’t believe who I met today.”

  
  


“You’re lying to me.”

“I swear, I’m not.” Yeri massages her temples, slowly exhaling. This feels both like a dream and a nightmare.

“The Son Seungwan?”

“Yes. Wendy.”

Yeri remembers that Wendy preferred this nickname over her actual name ; “Seungwan sounds too serious”, she had always said, with the pretty smile Yeri adored so much. “Wendy is better.”

“I can’t believe the girl you had a thing since forever is back in town”, Saeron exclaims, hugging her legs pressed to her chest. She watches Yeri closely as same answers, “me neither.”

“Do you know why she’s here? Is she on holidays? Did she move?”

“God, I have no idea.”

Yeri scratches the back of her head, letting herself fall onto her back with a groan. Saeron’s bed screeches under the sudden weight.

  
  


Wendy. The name gives her goosebumps and makes flowers bloom in her lungs. She’s always adored her girl in the grade above her.

She plays four different instruments - piano, guitar, flute and saxophone -, speaks Korean and English fluently and is the kindest person alive. Yeri has heard everything about her ; the pretty girl next door everyone knows and loves dearly.

Yeri is what you would call self-confident, but Son Wendy manages to make her feel fluttery insecure. Whenever her glance would go over Yeri - without actually realizing it was her, of course - her heart stopped for a second.

Wendy never talked to her, though. She usually had a great circle of friends walking with her, making it impossible to actually get a grip of her.

  
  


“What are you going to do?” Saeron suddenly asks, and Yeri shoots her a look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you going to approach her? Like, stop ignoring her like the past years?”

Yeri refrains from telling her best friend that it was the other way around and shrugs.

  
  


“Who knows? For all we know, I could never see her again.”

  
  


The bookshop is a very comfortable place. Joohyun has stuffed it with pretty furniture, there are lots of lamps spreading warm light, and plants are decorating the room. In short, it’s all cozy, and Yeri shouldn’t be surprised when she finds Wendy sitting in her seat yet again.

This time, she takes another chair. It’s not facing Wendy, so she should be able to relax just perfectly - but, of course, she really cannot. She wants to turn around all the time, looking if Wendy watches her, even though she knows she wouldn’t.

Yeri despises feeling inferior to someone, and she minds a lot with Wendy, but in the end, she can’t change it. If they had something one would call an actual relationship to each other, she’d put more effort into it than Wendy. Give more love and cry more tears and care more.

She actually manages to dive into her book, forgetting the mess in her world for a moment to deal with another. (The protagonist in the novel is fighting against a dragon. If her feelings were a giant beast, she herself could be the main character, Yeri supposes.) She bends down, her nose almost touching the pages. She might need glasses - the letters are dancing in front of her eyes, trying to escape them.

Someone rushes to her seat, and before she knows it, two cool arms are loosely wrapped around her neck. “Joy?”, she asks (whispers, not to disturb Wendy next to them), and the girl behind her chuckles.

“What are you reading, Kim Yerim?”, Joy wants to know, bending down to read the open book on Yeri’s lap.

“Don’t you have to work?”

Yeri puts her arms up and pats what she supposes is Joy’s head next to hers, and Joy laughs.

“Strict as always, my Yeri”, she gushes, and Yeri fakes gagging, making Joy giving her a light slap on the head. “Ouch!”

They’re bickering like that as always. Like before their don’t-talk-about-it-kiss happened. Yeri is really, unbelievably glad they’ve become their old selfs again.

She still doesn’t think about the meaning of Joy initiating a kiss.

  
  


Wendy comes more often than she does. Somehow, Yeri is offended, as if it was a secret completion between the two of them. It’s not, she has to remind herself when she enters the bookshop just to see Wendy already being there. (She still comes earlier the next time, just because.)

Her heart almost bursts in surprise when Wendy starts talking to her. “Good morning”, she says, a beam over her face, when Yeri sits down next to her. Yeri doesn’t react instantly - she freezes, rather, quickly noting the idea of turning around, because Son Wendy can’t possibly be greeting _her_ , right?

But no one is responding, and despite Wendy already having concentrated on her book again, Yeri blurts out, “H-Hi.”

Wendy’s head shoots up and gives her a bright, although a bit confused smile. (Maybe the time gap between their greetings was too big. Oops.)

Yeri doesn’t even get glanced upon in the next hours, yet her heart starts racing and her hands sweating every time she thinks about it.

  
  


_Good morning. Good morning. Good morning._

It’s a good morning, indeed, and Yeri is soaring.

  
  


She had forgotten how pretty Wendy’s voice is. She used to be in a choir, if she remembers correctly - in middle school. Someone told her. Then, in Highschool, Wendy was in the school’s band, singing and playing the keyboard occasionally.

A sweet, bright voice for a kind, happy person. Yeri experiences her own voice as husky, rough, even.

Maybe voices fit their bodies, like dogs fit their owners.

Anyhow, if Yeri had to choose a single sound to live on for the rest of her life, it would be Wendy’s wonderful voice.

  
  


“This girl”, Joy hums, “in Joohyun’s bookstore. The one who’s went to your Highschool. Were you close once?”

“What gives you that impression?”, Yeri wants to know, her words chosen well on distance. She flips a page of her magazine, trying to not to look too invested in what Joy is going to ask next. She’s curious, but she’s also afraid. Maybe that’s what love feels like.

“You act different around her”, Joy says, leaning in, studying Yeri’s mimic closely to wipe off the secrets on it, trying to see the blank truth. “An ex, maybe?”

“I wish”, Yeri snorts without thinking, and when Joy’s posture shifts, she realizes the depth of her words.

“ _I wish I would have been involved with Son Wendy.”_

“I-It’s not like that”, she quickly adds, licking her lips as low panic starts to arise in her chest, “I don’t _like_ like her. She’s just- a former crush. That’s all.”

Kind of like you adore a celebrity from afar, she thinks, but doesn’t say it out loud. She isn’t sure if that would be helpful to say.

Joy smiles, but it’s a forced one, Yeri can tell. Guilt comes in waves like nausea.

(Right. The kiss. How could she forget the kiss?)

Joy’s outspoken thought is said under her breath, is a whisper merely, but Yeri hears it anyway, holding onto it like a lifesaver.

“I think she likes you, too.”

  
  


Yeri finds out that Wendy had a girlfriend in her first year of College. She’s found her private twitter account and has scrolled through it until the very beginning - which was about 6 year ago. To her defense, Yeri really wanted to avoid studying in all ways possible. She wasn’t that interested in Wendy’s past. Only a little bit.

The ex-girlfriend in question is called Seulgi, which made Yeri’s stomach drop a little bit. Joy’s Seulgi?

Then again, Seulgi was a quite popular name two decades ago.

  
  


The feeling of nausea doesn’t go away, though.

  
  


She wants to ask, but she really isn’t sure whom.

Wendy? Bad idea. “Hi, you don’t know me, but we’ve said hello to each other the other day and we went to Highschool together! Anyway, are you gay?”

Joy? God, no. She already told her she doesn’t like Wendy that way. Maybe that’s even true. Maybe not. Who knows? Not Yeri.

Joy forgets her phone at Yeri’s one day, and it’s the only chance Yeri gets. She wouldn’t have asked the one person she can ask on any other occasion, probably ; but she has the fact in the back of her head that she’ll never get access to the number again, so she swallows her pride and tries to be brave.

She scrolls through Joy’s long, long list of contacts and eventually dials Kang Seulgi.

“Hi, Joy! Why are you calling? Aren’t you with Yeri?”

Yeri’s fingers clinch onto Joy’s phone on her ear. Seulgi has a pretty voice. Not as pretty as Wendy’s, of course, but it both sounds sweet like honey and husky like smoke.

“Um, sorry, this is Yeri”, she answers, briefly wondering how Seulgi knew where Joy was, “Joy left her phone here, and, um-“ Yeri forgot to think about a shallow reason why she’s actually asking Seulgi about her past partners, so she just blurts out, “did you have girlfriends before?”

It’s silent on the other line before Seulgi clicks her tongue and starts, “Chanmi and I were together for a good week in middle school when she wanted to date Nayoung instead - poor girl, didn’t even know what was happening to her, Chanmi just decided they’re we’re dating for the both of them -, then Haebin when we were freshmen in Highschool, Sunyoung was my girlfriend for a little bit, Seungwan for about three months, Sohee during my second year of college-“

  
  


_Wendy._

  
  


“Son Seungwan?”, Yeri interrupts Seulgi, and same approves. “Yeah! Why do you ask?” She can hear the curiosity dripping from Seulgi’s voice, and suddenly she realizes that she’s not being subtle at all.

And, of course, Seulgi is Joy’s best friend. She could’ve asked Joy herself. Dumb, dumb Yeri embarrassing herself even in front of people she’s never met just to avoid talking with someone whom she maybe likes.

“Nothing”, she says, feeling a flush creeping onto her face that’s somehow suffocating her throat, “I just wanted to ask- if you see Joy around, can you tell her that her phone’s here? I don’t know how to contact her.”

“Sure.” Seulgi sounds disappointed, as if she really wanted to know Yeri’s reason to ask. Maybe Seulgi is just nosy, Yeri thinks. Hopes.

“Then… bye.” Yeri quickly hangs up before Seulgi can ask any more questions.

She stares into the air in silence.

  
  


Maybe she’s done more damage by trying to keep Wendy and Joy uninvolved in this.

So she decides to involve Wendy.

  
  


Straight crushes are not the worst thing in the world, Yeri thinks. The hope that your crush could possibly like you back? Way worse.

Yeri stares at the back of Wendy’s head. If she properly introduced herself - if they were friends - Wendy could, maybe, like her back. She’s not straight.

Her heart hurts and Yeri averts her gaze, concentrating on her book again, leaving unspoken words unsaid.

She doesn’t know how to make friends, if she’s completely honest ; all of the friends she has have made the first step to approach her. Best example: Joy. So she decides that kindness is a great soil to seed plants on.

  
  


Wendy looks up with her big, dark eyes when Yeri reaches out her hand with a cup of coffee.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been visiting a lot”, Yeri says, trying out to wear a smile (she hopes it doesn’t look like a grimace), “and I’m almost a registered costumer, so I figured I should, uh, make you a gift.”

Sounded better in her head, anyway.

Wendy blinks - and then beams, taking the coffee with a gleam in her eyes that makes Yeri’s stomach drop.

“Oh, thank you so much! You shouldn’t have, really- I’m Wendy!” She reaches out her hand to shake Yeri’s, and Yeri takes it after a moment of hesitation. Wendy’s hand is warm and touching it makes her stomach feel fuzzy.

“Do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar”, Wendy asks further, seemingly absolutely concentrated on Yeri, and Yeri somewhat takes a swelling pride in having Son Wendy’s unlimited attention.

“We went to the same Highschool”, she says, quickly adding a, “I think”, in case Wendy believes she’s some sort of stalker.

“Really? When did you graduate?”

Yeri blushes. “Just last year, I’m going to college here.”

After sending small nods while Yeri talked, Wendy now gifts her a big smile. “Me too! What are you majoring in?”

And just like that, they’re talking.

“By the way, sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”, Wendy says, and it’s such a pleasant way of reminding Yeri that she hasn’t introduced herself Yeri’s face reddens.

“Oh, I’m-“, she suddenly remembers that in the beginning she told Joy only her nickname, and decides that she’s going to be different with Wendy, “Kim Yerim. You can call me Yeri. If you want to.”

Every of her words seem awkward, but Wendy doesn’t seem to mind. At least, she doesn’t show it. Yeri doesn’t know if that should make her insecure - is Wendy just talking to her because she feels bad for her?

In the end, they’re talking, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

Yeri learns that Wendy is studying medicine in a nearby college - what else? This girl is a saint - and currently is in her third year.

  
  


She’s head over heels.

  
  


Yeri hasn’t been thinking about Wendy since she had gotten out of Highschool, frankly. She hadn’t forgotten about her - she just thought she was over this silly crush, but seeing Wendy in person revived her feelings again.

She wants to ask Wendy what she’s doing in the bookshop (just like her she isn’t actually buying anything), but it feels like overstepping boundaries.

When Wendy leaves, she even gives her a small wave. Yeri’s heart explodes.

It’s the first time Wendy has given her more attention than sparing her a brief glance, not noticing her, really.

Today, she did.

Yeri is all over the moon the rest of her stay, but seeing Joy’s face is dragging her down to earth again.

If her heart was swollen with love before, now it deflates.

Joy’s mimics look like they were made of stone, but when she catches Yeri looking at her with brows narrowed in concern, she quickly puts up a tired, very fake smile.

“Having fun?”

Anyone else would have spit it out, but Joy’s kind heart isn’t able to. Yeri would rather be yelled at, she believes. Maybe that would dissolve the guilt that’s laying in her stomach like a stone.

She meets up with Joy just as frequent as before, but the only one on her mind is Wendy, really. It’s not Joy exclusively - Saeron, her family, anyone. She can’t concentrate because all of her mind is yelling _Wendy, Wendy, Wendy_.

Yeri hates being in love.

(Is it really love?)

She thought she knew what love is - this is attraction. It’s kind of similar to what she felt with Joy, in the very beginning ; the exciting warmth in her chest when she saw her pretty smile, increasing heartbeat when their fingertips touched.

Yeri doesn’t want to call it love when it’s solely physical. And it is - she doesn’t know Wendy, just like she didn’t know Joy, and now she knows Joy, but it doesn’t feel like attraction anymore.

In weak moments she wonders if she’s capable of loving, actually loving, with all flaws and hidden scars and bad habits. But Wendy could be her realization that she can.

Yeri would like to hang onto that hope as long as she can.

Their friendship - if you could call it one - isn’t silent, but it isn’t loud neither. It’s a whisper, a lukewarm breeze cooling your skin on a hot summer day. It’s good. Superficial, but good and enjoyable.

They don’t talk every time their paths cross in the bookshop, but when they do, Yeri is left with a fuzzy feeling in her stomach and a dizzy smile on her face.

She wants to call it unfair that a gesture, a conversation, a smile from the right person has this grand effect on her soul, but in the end, she doesn’t care. (When a gesture, a conversation or a smile doesn’t enlighten her heart at the moment, she cares a lot.)

At the same time, she realizes that she needs to do something about Joy. Wrong- she needs to talk to her. Between the both of them, everything is the same ; like always, flowers blooming and Joy’s astonishingly beautiful smile. As it has always been, the two of them.

Maybe she’s exaggerating Joy’s intentions, she hopes so, but there isn’t a great range of feelings that a kiss could indicate. She’s been wanting to lean forward and kiss Son Wendy’s pink lips forever, so she would know.

Attraction. Adoration. Love. Call it what you want, but it’s guiding Yeri and it’s slowly driving her insane. In a good or bad way, she doesn’t know yet.

She meets Wendy the first time outside in the supermarket. It’s the same supermarket from which Yeri had fled to the bookshop of the stormy night, meeting Joy. Somehow the same places hold the same value and memories. It would have been nice, great, even, if it wasn’t for Joy shopping with her.

(That’s mean, she thinks, but it’s true. She has to control her muscles, stopping them from beaming at the sight of Wendy, for Joy’s sake. In case she hasn’t interpreted their kiss wrong.)

“Yeri, hi!”, Yeri hears someone saying, and when she turns around, it’s Wendy in front of them. She can feel Joy - they’ve been holding hands as they searched for good crisps - straighten her posture.

“Hey”, she squeals, quickly clearing her throat, and then, a bit cooler, “What are you doing here?”

“Shopping.” Wendy gives her a smile before reaching out her hand to a surprised Joy. “Hi! I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Wendy!”

Joy hesitates to grab it, but when she does, she eagerly shakes it.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Joy”, she answers, smiling. It doesn’t quite reaches her eyes, even though Joy is trying her best not to show it, Yeri knows.

“So, um”, Yeri quickly interferes, feeling that they’re walking on a very slim bar that’s slowly tilting. “What are you buying?”

“Oh, just food”, Wendy says, showing off her basket which is full of bread, fruits and water. Yeri is suddenly painfully aware of the tons of crisps in their own, and she inconspicuously shoves her body in front of it, hoping Wendy hasn’t seen the content of it (of course, Wendy would be too nice to tease her about it, anyway).

The supermarket is noisy, naturally, but the volume around the three of them cannot suffocate the increasingly awkward silence between the triangle. “Um”, Wendy clears her throat, “see you at the bookshop?”

Yeri can’t help but notice Joy’s eyebrow twitching at the word “bookshop”, and she cringes internally. Wendy doesn’t seem to remember the cashier who’s had sold her a book some weeks ago. (But she remembers Yeri. She sees Yeri. She can’t help but feeling proud.)

“Yeah”, she softly answers, “see you there.”

Wendy gives each of them a smile before leaving, going to an aisle Yeri has never set a foot in before (the vegetables aisle). Suddenly Yeri notices that she’s still holding hands with Joy and lets go, more rapidly than she had intended. Joy doesn’t seem offended, but after participating in the encounter with Wendy, Yeri isn’t sure if she can tell Joy’s feelings anymore.

  
  


Maybe they’re not the same anymore.

  
  


Wendy surprises her the next time she visits with coffee. “Hi!”, she beams already when Yeri has barely stepped through the door, cheeks red from the cozy warmth that has nested in the bookshop. “I brought coffee for us, here, take a seat!”

She remembered Yeri drinks her coffee black.

As a middle child, attentiveness is always what Yeri has been digging for years now, and Wendy senses things about her she didn’t even know. Wendy is even more attentive than Joy.

They talk and laugh over their coffees and when Yeri catches Joohyun’s glance - which seems grim, given the narrowed eyebrows and slightly pursed lips -, she suggests taking a walk. Wendy, who didn’t even take out the books she usually reads, quickly accepts after she noticed the noise they made as well.

“This is awful”, she sighs when they step outside, “I forgot we weren’t in a cafe… I feel guilty for being so loud. We probably scared all of the customers away.”

Yeri hums in agreement, hearing only the half of what Wendy has said. _Us. We._ She feels lighter every time Wendy considers them as a team, friends, a pair of people. Someone who is together.

“Why do you go to the bookshop?”, Yeri asks, finally being confident enough to ask what has been in her mind since forever. “I mean, I haven’t seen you buy anything, ever.”

If they were closer, she’d have said it in a smug, teasing way, but they’re not, so she doesn’t dare. (They’ll get there.)

“Oh, that…”, Wendy puts a hair strain behind her ear, a gesture that screams embarrassment as well as her pink cheeks. Yeri has to suppress a smile. “The university I go to has a big library, but since lots of the students are studying a lot, it’s stuffed all the time. I study at the bookshop because it’s so quiet there. Well, if the both of us isn’t around.” She pinches Yeri In the waist and Yeri flinches, playfully attacking her back by tickling her side. Wendy chuckles and Yeri grins in a way she’s never had before.

“What about you, Yeri? You’re there more often than me, right?” Yeri gives her a loop-sided smile.

“I don’t have the kind of money to buy all the books I want to read, so I’m kind of…. stealing. Oh, no, not real stealing”, she quickly explains when she sees Wendy’s shocked face (this girl really has her expressions worked out, she thinks), “just… I read the books there. Kind of like a library. Is that weird?”

“A bit”, Wendy laughs, “but we’re all weird, right? Weird is good.”

Yeri feels her heart beating in her chest at the pretty sound. “Yeah, weird is good.”

  
  


Wendy asks for her number first, and Yeri wears a smug expression for almost a week. Wendy wants her number. Wendy wants to get to know her. Wendy is interested in her.

Wendy seems to genuinely like her, and Yeri soaks it up like a sponge. It’s nice to be liked.

  
  


“Hey, Yerm!”, Wendy greets her with the brand new nickname she has invented all by herself (Yeri considers it the prettiest word she’s ever heard) and waves at her when she sits down. It’s summer, and the idle heat crawls under everyone’s skin. Yeri herself is wearing a top and, unusually, her hair in a bun.

“You look pretty today”, Wendy says, doodling in her notebook. Yeri takes a peek. “Cardiovascular disease and how to prevent it” it says right above a turtle that Wendy had just drawn. Yeri points at it.

“The turtle looks ugly.”

Without missing a beat nor looking up Wendy absentmindedly replies, “you’re one ugly turtle.”

Yeri scoffs. “You just told me I look pretty.”

“Maybe I lied.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me, Son Wendy”, Yeri grins, and Wendy chuckles, even though she looks like she would have liked to keep up their game of teasing a bit longer.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t.” Wendy’s gaze on Yeri is soft and it stays on her a tad too long to be casual.

  
  


Yeri enjoys being taken care of, she thinks, and Wendy is the caring type. She watches out for Yeri when she notices the bags under her eyes have become bigger and brings extra pencils for their studying sessions because she knows Yeri forgets her own at home, always.

It’s extremely attractive. Before, Yeri felt the urge to take care of others, but being taken care of - it’s terribly nice. Wendy is extremely attractive and terribly nice, in the end, and Yeri loves it.

  
  


Yeri loves her.

  
  


The world is a small place in the best moments, and Yeri thanks god for it when she meets Wendy on her way home.

It’s a warm day, but a cool evening ; and she idly puts one foot before the other, watching the sky turn into a dark orange. Yeri runs her fingers through her wet hair, frowning when they don’t go through as smoothly as she had intended. Saeron and she spent the afternoon in Saeron’s pool (her parents have way too much money on their hands) and now she’s going home, having to concentrate on her way of walking as she’s wearing flip flops on her feet.

Yeri wonders if Wendy enjoys days like these - just relaxing in the sun, eating snacks and swimming.

Should she invite Wendy to go to a public swimming pool? She’s already searching for her phone in the giant bag she usually takes for swimming (she has to go through multiple towels, clothes and now empty snacks) when a car is stopping besides her.

Yeri stares at the girl behind the steering wheel, with big sunglasses and slightly bushy, brown hair ; she looks a lot like-

“Wendy! What are you doing here?”, Yeri grins, leaning down to the window which Wendy is currently winding down.

“I was actually on my way to your house”, Wendy says, putting up her glasses and exposing her ever so pretty dark eyes. “Wanted to see if you’re home. Why is your hair wet?”

Yeri is so flustered that she forgets the first part - that Wendy wanted to visit her - and answers, “I went swimming. Hey, do you want to go sometime?”

Wendy’s eyes turn a tad darker. Has she said something wrong? Did she offend Wendy in some way?

“I dislike not having a ground under my feet, I’m sorry”, she softly says, as if she really was apologetic despite not having done anything wrong. “I also don’t like heights, by the way.”

“O-Oh”, Yeri says, reddening for some reasons, “alright.” Wendy has said it in the nicest way - not scolding nor attacking Yeri at all, but Yeri feels the guilt clenching her guts. She doesn’t want to feel Wendy anything but happiness, she wants it more than her own.

“We can still meet up, though”, Wendy suggests, and Yeri nods. “You can come to me tomorrow!”, she smiles. “If you want to.”

“I’d love to, Yerm! Send me the address?”

“Sure.”

Wendy drives off, and Yeri glances after her.

And suddenly, she gets an idea.

  
  


She texts Wendy a short “Bring a swimsuit tomorrow” before going to bed, and when Wendy texts back “?”, a smile comes over her lips and her heart starts fluttering. Wendy is up for a surprise and Yeri’s excited.

  
  


Yeri doesn’t even invite Wendy inside - her mother would be indignant -, rather she greets her with a big grin of her face, and when Wendy wants to open her mouth to say something Yeri has already grabbed Wendy’s wrist and pulled her to their backyard.

“Is that a-“

“Paddling pool!”, Yeri exclaims, weirdly proud of her idea. “You can be refreshed and can still feel the ground under your feet!”

“Or my butt, this thing looks pretty small”, Wendy laughs, “are you even sure we’ll both fit?”

“Depends. The one first in gets more space, so-“

Yeri quickly starts to unbutton her blouse, revealing a bikini top, and when Wendy realizes what Yeri is getting at, she gasps and starts to undress as well. “Unfair! You started before me!”

Yeri laughs out loud, her movements slowing down, and they end up getting into the “pool” together. Under giggles Wendy shifts her weight to ensure Yeri more space.

“This is the best thing I’ve done all summer”, Wendy sighs happily, searching for Yeri’s hand to squeeze it (she’s splashing a lot of the water out of the pool until she’s found it). “Thank you a lot. It’s very considerate. I bet you would enjoy being in a bigger pool more.”

“I enjoy being with you the most”, Yeri truthfully answers, and Wendy screams and laughs about her greasy answer. Yeri chuckles, too. Her heart is rising in excitement because of Wendy.

  
  


She hadn’t noticed it at first, but after Joy has pointed the ugly, embarrassing truth out to her, she can’t possibly ignore it.

“We don’t see each other anymore”, Joy mumbles when they do meet up, and it goes through Yeri’s heart like a thousand needles. “How come you don’t visit Joohyun’s bookshop anymore?”

What Yeri has realized is - the bookshop was some kind of lifeline she could rely on, but when we met Wendy, she didn’t need it anymore. Not that she wanted to abandon Joy - or Saeron, or anyone else -, but Wendy feels like home. She feels at ease when she’s with Wendy, a light feeling she has never truly felt before. (Lately, she has been stressed. With university and exam starting and her tensed relationship with Joy, Wendy is the person she wants to see at the end of the day.)

“Joy”, she says, gathering all of the courage she needs, “what did our kiss mean?”

Joy slowly exhales. Then she manages to curl her lips into a sad smile.

“What do you think it means?”

Yeri hesitates, and then she pulls Joy into a close hug, hoping it says all of the things she can’t say right now.

  
  


I’m sorry I don’t like you back.

I don’t want to lose you.

Please let’s stay friends.

  
  


They talk a lot about that, and just like recovering from a bad cold, they don’t instantly feel better, but they’re doing much better already. (They talk and meet and talk, and they can genuinely laugh with each other again.)

Joy even suggests meeting up with Wendy, and when Saeron comes as well, Yeri feels like her family is united.

She’s happy, her friends are happy - or slowly becoming happy -, and that’s more than she could wish for.  
  


 

* * *

 

_Epilogue_

 

“Joohyun, you’re the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen”, Yeri shakes her head, smiling as she rearranges her white gown.

“Thank you, Yerim”, Joohyun chuckles, “can you please check on Sooyoung? She’s probably too excited and making everyone nervous with her bouncing.”

“Will do”, Yeri says, already half out of the door, “gotta do what a bridesmaid has to do!”

She shuffles over the hallway, to the second bride, and knocks on her door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure!”, Joy says on the other side, and Yeri opens the door.

Joy looks gorgeous as always, but being an almost newlywed gives her a whole another shine. Yeri has never been prouder.

“Ready to get married?”

“Have been for the past year”, she chuckles, “actually since our first date.”

“I can’t believe you’re marrying your chief”, Yeri snorts, “but she’s a good one, so- congrats.”

Wendy knocks on the open door before stepping in. “Oh, Joy, you look beautiful!”

“I know”, Joy grins, and Yeri gives her a slap on the head (a light one since she doesn’t want to ruin her hair).

“Are you ready to go? It’s time.”

Joy suddenly looks nervous. Yeri searches for her hand and squeezes it.

“Come on, time to get married!”

  
  


Wendy has tears in her eyes when the ceremony is over, and Yeri is blinking rapidly to avoid crying as well.

“Yerm?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s get married as well.”

Wendy laughs over the shocked expression on Yeri’s face.

“I’m just kidding”, she chuckles, giving her a soft kiss, “let’s get this whole moving in together thing cleared.”

“Don’t remind me”, Yeri sighs, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand, “I still have to move things around. I’ve found some stuff I didn’t even know I had.”

They cheer and yell when the freshly married Joohyun and Joy walk down the aisle together, looking happier than ever.

Yeri watches them with a smile on her face in silence before she turns to Wendy, whispering, “we are so marrying one day. Can’t let Joy brag about her wedding all alone.”

Wendy laughs and cups Yeri’s face to give her a long, sweet kiss.

“Oh, you can bet that I’m so going to marry you one day, Yeri.”

Yeri grins, and in this moment, her heart bursts from happiness.

  
  


“I love you, Wendy.”

“I love you too, Yeri.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #Happytachweek [2/2]
> 
> Happy birthday, Tach ♥ This one is for you only . ilu

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based off on this tweet: https://twitter.com/flowerene329/status/953415503246016513?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Em5%7Ctwgr%5Eemail%7Ctwcon%5E7046%7Ctwterm%5E1


End file.
